Ingredients
Aspartame
Low-Calorie Sweetener and Flavor Enhancer
Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener made from two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine, linked together as a dipeptide. Aspartame is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar, so only a very small amount is needed to provide sweetness with negligible calories at typical use levels.
During digestion, aspartame is broken down into its component amino acids and a small amount of methanol. The body processes these components through normal metabolic pathways.
Aspartame is found in thousands of products worldwide, including carbonated and powdered soft drinks, chewing gum, confections, gelatins, dessert mixes, puddings and fillings, frozen desserts, yogurt, tabletop sweeteners, and select pharmaceuticals such as vitamins and sugar-free cough drops.
Aspartame has been extensively evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and food-safety authorities around the world. These authorities consider aspartame safe for the general population under approved conditions of use.
Benefits of Aspartame
Tastes Like Sugar
Aspartame provides a clean, sugar-like sweetness. Because it is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar, much less is needed to achieve the desired sweetness.
Helpful in Diabetes Management
Aspartame contributes little or no carbohydrate at typical use levels and does not raise blood glucose in the same way as sugar. Products containing aspartame can provide additional choices for people managing carbohydrate and added-sugar intake.
Enhances and Extends Flavors
Aspartame has the ability to intensify and extend fruit flavors, such as cherry and orange, in foods and beverages. For example, aspartame makes chewing gum taste sweet and more flavorful longer than sugar-sweetened gum.
Helps Prevent Tooth Decay
According to the American Dental Association, low-calorie sweeteners like aspartame do not promote decay-causing acids that can harm teeth. Clinical studies have shown that chewing sugarless gum for 20 minutes following meals can help prevent tooth decay.
Can be Beneficial for Weight Management
When used in place of added sugar, aspartame can help reduce added sugar and calories while preserving sweetness. Replacing sugar-sweetened products with lower-calorie alternatives can reduce calorie intake. Weight outcomes depend on the overall dietary pattern, the products replaced and individual factors.
Aspartame at a Glance
- Approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar
- Made from two amino acids
- Provides negligible calories at typical use levels
- Used in foods, beverages and certain medicines
- Extensively evaluated by food-safety authorities worldwide
- Considered safe for the general population under approved conditions of use
Facts About Aspartame
Origin
Aspartame was discovered in 1965 by James M. Schlatter. Schlatter obtained this compound as part of his research and discovered the sweetness completely by accident, after licking it off his finger. Its large-scale production began in 1981 after it received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As aspartame is about 200 times sweeter than sugar, it is attractive for use as a sweetener, particularly as it provides basically zero calories at intended use levels.
Safety
Aspartame is one of the most thoroughly studied ingredients in the food supply. It has been reviewed in more than 100 scientific studies before the FDA approved it in 1981. The studies were conducted in laboratory animals and humans, including healthy infants, children, and adults, lactating women, people with diabetes, and obese individuals. Upon approving aspartame, the FDA Commissioner noted, “Few compounds have withstood such detailed testing and repeated, close scrutiny, and the process through which aspartame has gone should provide the public with additional confidence of its safety.”
After the FDA’s approval, extensive additional research has been done with aspartame, which further confirmed its safety for the general population. In fact, aspartame has been tested for more than three decades, in more than 200 studies, with the same result: aspartame is safe.
The FDA has established an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) of 50 mg/kg of body weight. An ADI represents the daily intake limit whereby a substance can be consumed each day with no safety concern.
Further, as it is rapidly degraded in the gastrointestinal tract, and that even when consumed at levels equivalent to the ADI (or based on exposure data reported in some countries), the resulting exposure to its breakdown components (two amino acids and methanol) remains far lower than that from dietary protein and natural fruits
Understanding IARC and JECFA
In 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reviewed aspartame and citing “limited evidence” for carcinogenicity in humans, classified it as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B). Other foods classified under 2B include Asian-style pickled vegetables and aloe vera whole-leaf extract.
IARC’s conclusions were examined by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in its 2023 evaluation of aspartame. JECFA conducted a risk assessment that considered the evidence and expected dietary exposure. Hazard versus risk: Hazard asks whether something could cause harm under some circumstances. Risk asks how likely harm is at a particular level of exposure. JECFA found no concern for human health. The FDA also disagreed with IARC’s conclusion that these studies support classifying aspartame as a possible carcinogen to humans. Importantly, IARC is not a food safety body and its 2B classification does not consider intake levels nor actual risk, making an IARC review far less comprehensive than the thorough reviews conducted by food safety organizations like JECFA, leading to potential confusion for consumers.
Regulatory Status
In addition to FDA and JECFA, aspartame has been reviewed and determined to be safe by the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission and the regulatory bodies of over 100 countries. Independent health organizations, such as the American Medical Association’s Council on Scientific Affairs, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Dietetic Association, now known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, have reviewed research on aspartame and found it to be safe.
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